Stubborn Love
by TheDespairSisters
Summary: Fukawa is a cancer patient. Togami is a famous heir. Naegi never gives up hope. Kirigiri doesn't remember. Mondo has been asleep for a year. Ishimaru is their optimistic doctor. What do they all have in common? They didn't see it coming. Togafuka, Naegiri, Ishimondo, and more.
1. Prologue

Touko Fukawa woke up to an unbearable, feverish, constricting feeling. The way her sheets and blanket were tangled and knotted around her body made this sudden sensation even worse. Struggling to sit up, Fukawa brought a hand up to rub drowsily at her eyelids. One hand grasped slowly for her glasses that lay on her nightstand, fumbling before sliding them on. She glanced sluggishly at the clock, squinting slightly at the harsh glow.

2:00am it read.

Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she kicked her sheets and blankets off of her legs, too hot to be of any use to her. Yawning, she brought a hand up to scratch as her sweat soaked scalp.

"So early." She half mumbled to herself. And in the middle of such a nice dream too- she sighed wistfully. As the last remnants of sleep wore off, she scowled. Sleep was the last thing she'd be able to do now. What a lovely morning it was already.

As she stood up, she became aware of a slick sheen of sweat covering her body, saturating into her long hair. "Ick." She grumbled, pulling her shirt away from her body.

Deciding to take a shower, Fukawa fumbled through the dark. She winced as she bumped sharply into the edge of her bed frame, rubbing the spot as she maneuvered her way around the offending object to her bathroom.

Fukawa had always liked her bathroom. It was cleaner than everywhere else, mostly due to the fact she used it less than the other rooms. The whole of it gave off a clean feeling, with a warm maroon surrounding her and smokey tiles underfoot. Although medium in size, it was great for a single girl.

Flipping on her mp3 dock, soft, slow piano music began to pour out soothingly. She shed her nightclothes-a simple white t-shirt and baggy flannel pants-and stepped into the warming water. It was cooler than how she usually liked her water, and somehow it...hurt. Like a light bruising along her body. She was mildly upset at her skin for that- small prickling, like her limbs had fallen asleep again.

Fukawa furrowed her brow in confusion. Maybe she was coming down with a cold or the flu. There had been a virus going around lately. She made a mental note to read up on it after her shower.

She began lathering her hair in shampoo, and then conditioner. This entire task by far the most time consuming part of bathing for her- maybe part of the reason she had a certain dislike for showering at all. The soft scent of sandalwood began to waft around her, mixing with the gentle steam.

Gradually, as she stood with slowly awakening limbs, she felt the grime and sweat wash off her body. She fumbled a little, washing with slightly clumsy hands.

As usual, her shower was short, just enough to clean herself and attempt to cool off, although it was a futile attempt. She still felt hot, like there was a slow burning fire beneath the surface of her skin. The lukewarm shower hadn't helped at all. Turning off the water, she gather her hair over her shoulder to wring it out and stepped onto the cool tile.

As she reached for her towel, a dark flash in the mirror made her pause, hand still outstretched. Fumbling slightly to retrieve her glasses, she stared down at her hip. Arching her neck slightly for a better view, she peered down at the pale skin. A large, dark purplish bruise that hadn't been there when she went to bed covered a sizable portion of skin.

Lightly brushing her fingers over the mottled skin, Fukawa tried to think back to when that could've happened. She woke up, got up from her bed, then-oh. Shd had bumped into the frame of her bed. But the bruise was forming at an extremely quick rate, which was impossible for one this size.

She absently wrapped herself in a towel, going through her mental library. She might have a medical book or two lying around.

* * *

Fukawa didn't even know why she had a medical book. She had probably picked it up to study a book idea she had formulated, but never got to doing. She sat in the middle of her messy, unmade bed, in the sole light of her bedside lamp she had switched on. Opening the rather thick book, she flipped to the symptoms index.

Fever. She was certain she was throwing off quite a lot of heat, if the new layer of sweat was anything to go by. She saw a large list of diseases and scowled. She would have to narrow down the search. How troublesome.

Chewing on the nail of one of her thumbs, she flipped to Muscle Tenderness. Once again a large list of diseases stared back at her. Letting out a growl of frustration she thought back. Restlessness?

Another long list.

Fukawa shoved the book away, glaring at it spitefully. Although she didn't mind reading, it would take forever to narrow down anything. A doctor would be able to do it faster, and she could care less about doing that. This could turn time consuming. A few pages fluttered open and as she turned to slam the book shut, she paused.

Easy bruising.

Easing the book back into her lap, she began to read the list. One disease in particular sent chills down her spine as she read the list of symptoms that followed it.

A creeping feeling of apprehension made her swallow thickly, and she suddenly felt trapped in the dim room. Bile rising in her throat, a shaking hand traced the word.

Cancer.

It all matched up. Fever, restlessness, easy bruising.

A coincidence, right? Nothing more than that, there had to be something else among the firmly organized information. Something. Anything. Abruptly, Fukawa stood up, pushing the book away with trembling hands. She began to pace, chewing furiously on her thumb nail.

"Disgusting." She muttered aloud.

She halted in her pacing, still gnawing away as she mentally prepared herself. She'd have to go to Hopes Peak Hospital.

Ugh.


	2. Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)

Chapter One: Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)

The first thing Fukawa learned about Hopes Peak Hospital was that their food sucked.

The gross hospital jello and the disgraceful lumps they called food seemed to never end. Always the same droopy, half dead salad, a unspecified main dish and that florescent sickening green jello. The absolutely putrid mush they dared to consider jello. She ate the food as little as she could without Ishimaru getting all huffy about it and proceed to rant about the importance of eating three full meals a day.

Fukawa hated it with a passion. Almost as much as she despised the fact they had a very lacking, _revolting _literature collection. It was sparse, all in bad quality, and made Fukawa want to burn them into ashes.

The books were always given to her by her doctor Ishimaru, or a very irritated nurse with short brown hair and a particular clump of strands standing straight up on his head. He had introduced himself as Hinata in an irritated cheerful voice. The same nurse she had seen on her way in. Fukawa couldn't help but return his strained smile with a smirk as she remembered him glaring down at the short stick in his hand. She never did find out what what was about.

The only good thing about the hospital was her roommate, Naegi Makoto. He was like her, a cancer patient. But unlike Fukawa, he was always full of hope. Hope this, hope that, he never stopped. His optimism was overwhelming- like it could flood the room and drown them both.

While she was annoyed by it a lot, she was grateful. It was nice to have someone who cared about you so selflessly, a support beam she could lean on and he'd take her weight gladly. Nobody had ever really felt that way towards her, like they would even consider helping her out. Maybe that's why a part of her didn't like being in the hospital anyway. Too many people being paid to help her. Then again, nobody liked to be in hospitals.

"Fukawa, you should eat, you know." Naegi said, eyeing her still full plate that lay untouched on the pull out stand of her bed. "They won't be happy if you don't eat."

Fukawa sneered down at the plate, already familiar with this particular conversation. "I'll eat when they bring something even the slightest bit edible." She punctuated her statement by nudging the plate as far away as it could get without tipping over and spilling all over her.

Naegi looked down at his own half eaten food and shrugged, grinning ruefully. " It's as edible as this place gets. Although once in a while Chihiro will sneak in some _real _food for me." He said wistfully.

Fukawa snorted at that. "Yeah, like what?" She stabbed at the unidentifiable lump of yellowish orange. Was this supposed to be macaroni and cheese? _Did it just move?_

She dropped the fork, scooting away from the plate, wrinkling her nose. Absolutely disgusting, you'd think they'd take better care of their patients, not poison them with..._this! _Whatever it was.

"Pizza, sometimes a burger. You know from that place downtown? The one with the really great fries?" He took a sip of his water. "She brings me those."

"Of course someone like you would like those greasy things. Do you know what they're even made of?" Fukawa sniffed disdainfully. Naegi threw her a confused look, cocking his head to the side.

"Uh...potatoes?" He questioned, voice rising at the end of the word in his confusion. Fukawa snickered at the answer. "Seriously, tell me."

Fukawa just snickered again and looked at the TV where some anime was playing. Something about magical girls and contracts. What a complete horror to the current world. Why would they play this rubbish, when all the patients could be reading books instead? A horrible turn of culture, a real disgrace.

Naegi looked distressed. "Fukawa, you can't just say that and then leave me hanging! Are they made of cat or something?"

Fukawa shot him an amused look. "No, why would they be made of meat, you idiot?" She sniggered. "Are you really that stupid?"

Naegi scowled at her, turning back to stab at his food sulkily. "No." He muttered. Fukawa smiled briefly, but it fell as the door to her left opened as their doctor came marching in with a big grin on his face.

"Hello friends! How are you today?" Ishimaru asked loudly as he flipped through Fukawa's clipboard.

"Horrible. This food is disgusting." Fukawa said immediately. Naegi shot her an exasperated look, before turning back to smile warmly at Ishimaru.

"Don't mind her, she's just mad they didn't give her a good book to read." He apologized, waving a hand in Fukawa's direction. She glared at him in response. "They are all horrible, too." She chimed in at Ishimaru's robust laughter at Naegi's comment.

"How wonderful to see both of you so lively today!" He placed Fukawa's clipboard back at the foot of her bed, picking up Naegi's next. "How are you both feeling? Any dizziness, fever, maybe some chills or exhaustion?"

Naegi shook his head. "Just a bit tired. Nothing bad, I guess."

Ishimaru looked at Fukawa expectantly and she sneered. "Tch. I feel as great as someone with cancer can."

Ishimaru nodded. "I see. Well I have to go take care of Oowada now, so I'll be back later."

"How is he, anyways? Has he woken up yet?" Naegi asked curiously before Ishimaru could leave. Ishimaru's smile fell and his face turned into a determined scowl.

"No but he will! I'm absolutely positive of it! Now goodbye, my friends." He gave a stiff salute, striding from the room. Fukawa watched him leave with a vague look or irritation.

"What a freak." She muttered, turning back to peer blankly at the TV. Naegi frowned disapprovingly. "Don't be mean! He's a very nice doctor, Oowada is lucky to have him taking care of him. We are too." He scolded. Fukawa rolled her eyes. "At least we don't have Celes as our doctor. She's always gambling with patients' meds and stuff."

Fukawa couldn't help but agree.

* * *

The literary girl felt groggy as she wandered the short distance away from her room. Naegi was nearby, chatting with a girl that had as bright a smile as he did. An awful smile. He shouldn't be that happy, no, not in this situation.

She was rudely bumped aside by a clearly annoyed nurse, the same she had seen when she had checked into the despair-inducing building. Hinata, he had told her.

"Sorry." He muttered, walking quickly past her. A white-haired boy trailed after him, dressed in a hospital gown and a long, green jacket.

"Hinata-kun, please, don't go!" The boy cried noisily. Hinata shot him an exasperated, clearly annoyed look. "I have to **work, **you need to rest. Go back to your room." He growled. After watching them bicker for a while, Fukawa eventually got bored. Glancing over, she noticed that Naegi was looking at her with a bit of concern. She wandered closer to him, an eyebrow raised.

"Fukawa-san, are you alright? That nurse," he looked over at the still bickering pair, the nurse now trying to shake off the white-haired nuisance. "Pushed you pretty hard. You don't have any bruises, right?"

She glanced at her offended arm, noting the start of a couple of tiny bruises forming. "It's nothing bad...I'm fine, don't bother about it."

His face still showed concern, but the girl beside him piped up. "Ah, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Chihiro Fujisaki. It's very nice to meet you!" Fukawa turned her attention to her, lightly chewing on her thumbnail.

"Touko Fukawa...likewise."

"Like, _the _Touko Fukawa? I've read all your novels!

* * *

Fukawa didn't mind Chihiro.

What she learned about her is that she knew practically everyone. Her and Naegi had been friends for a very long time, and were good school friends. Chihiro regularly visited both him and a couple other patients. Always asked how they were doing, are they awake yet, did anything new happen, how was your day. She had also met some new friends, like a girl named Mioda Ibuki.

She was part of a group of a few people, all with the same disease. "Despair Fever." they called it. It made the affected act totally different, like a completely different person was there in front of an onlooker.

"You already briefly met one of them." Chihiro said, and Fukawa gave her a funny look.

"Huh? When?" She asked in obvious confusion.

"A bit ago, you know that white-haired boy that was trailing the nurse? That was Nagito Komaeda. He's the first known recorded case." Chihiro informed her.

'Despair Fever.' It sounded like something right out of a fiction book. And, the name was so tacky.

After they chatted for a while, Fukawa started to feel decently tired. Naegi said that he should be heading back to the room, and that she ought to come rest as well. They bid goodbye to Chihiro, and headed to their doorway. Part way there, they nearly ran into two people bickering in the hall. There was truly no end to this senseless hall debating.

"Your argument is horribly flawed," A girl said cooly. She stared at the boy across from her with amethyst eyes, as hard as the stone itself, and she was clearly annoyed with him.

"What? In no way am I wrong." Somehow, the blonde, bespectacled boy was even more annoyed than she. Icy blue eyes looked over white rims, a certain intensity in them showing force. His stance, from his firmly straightened back and crossed arms, showed a proud dominance. He thought he was better- no, it was obvious, he _knew _he was better than this girl. And whatever his argument, Fukawa felt like she'd agree to anything he said.

Naegi felt tired on his feet, weary from all the conversation. So he didn't think he could handle bumping into this quarreling duo. Inwardly groaning, he waited for them to move more away from their door, even if just a little. The girl standing there caught his eyes, and he turned a bit in interest.

Her lavender hair curled around her face, soft and smooth. Her eyes showed her opinion clearly, and she seemed to know exactly what was going on. An air of mystery surrounded her, and Naegi felt like he wanted to know something about her-anything. Everything.

The blonde turned, making a loud "tch" of annoyance. "Out of my way," He snapped at Fukawa, and she immediately scrambled out of the way obediently. Naegi turned back to the girl, who was holding a gloved hand up to her wonderful, soft skin. She opened her firmly closed eyes, looking at him.

"Hm? What is it?" She asked him.

He almost jumped, stuttering. "What? Uh, what, nothing, I'm. Hello."

She laughed quietly. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Hello." Naegi felt his face flush and he looked to the side.

"My name is, um, Makoto Naegi." He mumbled, face burning. The girl held her hand out formally.

"Kyouko Kirigiri." He took her hand, shaking it. Although her grip should have been tighter- and it seemed like she knew it, too- it was weirdly lax. Huh.

Ha glanced over at Fukawa, who was staring after that incredibly rude guy who had flounced out of the room. He quietly took his hand from Kirigiri's, placing it to the left side of his mouth and leaning towards Fukawa.

"Hey Fukawa-san," he said in a hushed tone. "You're blushing."

She made a surprised noise, bringing her hands up to cover her face. "I-I am not! _Shut your mouth!" _She quietly rushed from the scene, into her room. Naegi was laughing, a soft chuckle that gently shook his shoulders.

"So," he said, looking at Kirigiri again. "Who was that?"


	3. Doctor Doctor

Chapter Two: Doctor Doctor

Ishimaru loved working at Hopes Peak Hospital.

He loved seeing the patients get better. He considered himself one of the busiest doctors in the hospital, because he spent his time taking care of as many patients as he thought he could handle. Although one might think he would be overwhelmed, he wouldn't be fazed! He did his best, every single day!

After he started his shift, he went straight to his main patients. Both had a cancer of the blood- a really sad case, honestly. Sometimes it nearly brought him to tears. Makoto Naegi was the one who was there for longer, seeming already accustomed to his hospital life. Touko Fukawa was a newer case, checked in only a few days ago. She had settled in nicely, despite the bad food. The thought of her entering the hospital brought the still fresh memory to the front of his mind.

It was by far one of the most traumatic breaking of the bad news.

The bad news of three months.

Twelve weeks to live.

Her eyes had widened, pupils almost consuming the colour before rapidly shrinking into tiny pinpricks of black. Her already pale skin had turned an unhealthy chalky white, tinged with green. Ishimaru swore he could hear the gnashing of her teeth on her thumbnail, which had been latched into her mouth almost instantly. Her already shaking body began to tremble furiously, obvious shudders racking her willowy frame.

Panic obvious in her eyes, she couldn't manage to do much else but let her mouth click against her nail. Her other hand, tight on her sheets, had quickly whitening knuckles. Her roommate had gotten up quickly out of his bed, trying to provide some words of comfort. The girl shook in the bed, pale purple-maroon eyes not even glancing at Naegi as he offered what little he could, soft words of hope and an arm curled around her.

Ishimaru left wordlessly, a small prick of guilt in his heart. That was the part he didn't like. He never liked it, and he never could.

A touch on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts and he half-turned to meet equally crimson eyes with his own. He turned fully to face the silver haired swordswoman.

"Ah, Pekoyama-san! How are you today?" he asked, smiling at her expressionless face. She inclined her head slightly, twin braids swinging softly at the movement.

"I'm fine," she murmured. "You just looked lost, I suppose."

Ishimaru beamed at the resident visitor. "Thank you for your concern! How is Kuzuryuu-kun?" he liked Peko, she was the quiet, thoughtful type. She was always watching everyone with steady calculating eyes. She didn't speak to all that many people, only scanned crowds and watched. But her devotion to Kuzuryuu-kun was positively heartwarming!

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes flickering down. "...No change." she seemed to not want to say much more than that, so Ishimaru fixed his expression into a soft smile.

"Pekoyama-san, when is the last time you left his side before now? You look tired." he commented gently.

Pekoyama quietly rubbed the back of her neck, glancing away. "I don't walk around much. That nurse, Tsumiki-san, brings me food on most days, Hinata-kun on others. I just saw you from the room," Ishimaru nodded.

"Well, make sure you don't spend all day in that room! And," his voice was amused, but gentle. "Please remember to go home soon."

She met his gaze and frowned. "You know I can't do that," she said softly. "I can't leave him." Ishimaru returned the frown with a sad smile.

"Yes, I know."

* * *

When Ishimaru walked into Nagito Komaeda's room, he was met with the foreign sound of two voices arguing. Komaeda, to put it simply...creeped out anyone and everyone in his near vicinity. Even Ishimaru himself. So, he was a bit curious and apprehensive at the sound of the second voice joining in with Komaeda's heatedly.

"Komaeda, eat your food! I have to work!" a voice growled.

"Only if you feed me, Hinata-kun!" came Komaeda's airy whine. Ishimaru's eyebrows pinched up. Hinata?

He glanced inside the room, seeing an impossibly annoyed nurse he knew well as Hajime Hinata, standing a decent distance- and one he looked like he desperately wanted to lengthen- away from Komaeda. The latter of the two looked somewhat sad, although it was obviously a fake look. After hearing them bicker for a couple minutes, he decided to step in. He cleared his throat, standing stiffly in the doorway. The look on Hinata's face was nothing short of relief.

"Ishimaru-kun, Hinata-kun is being very disagreeable," Komaeda's voice piped up as Hinata desperately tried to leave the room. "You ought to drop his paycheck until he strengthens his manners. For a nurse to act so sour to work at a hopeful facility like this!" Hinata scoffed, murmuring a 'thank you' as he walked past Ishimaru.

Komaeda watched him go with a morose, adoring look in his eyes. Ishimaru likened it to a love sick puppy doting on its owner.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Ishimaru said apologetically. "Eat while I talk." He nodded towards the untouched tray of hospital food.

"Of course!" Komaeda said with an amiable smile, picking up his plastic fork. As he dug in, Ishimaru picked up his clipboard off the foot of the bed.

"Any sudden mood swings or any symptoms, maybe chills?" Komaeda shook his head, mumbling a muffled 'no' through his food. He marked it down, following through the rest of the procedure. A few more 'no's here and there, and he checked out fine. But Ishimaru knew well that this is how the mysterious disease worked out. 'Despair Fever'...it still puzzled everyone.

As Ishimaru said his goodbyes, he paused at Komaeda's inquiring voice.

"Hey, whats Hinata-kun's first name?" He asked, tilting his head curiously. Ishimaru blinked at him, juggling the choice of whether to tell him or not.

"...Hajime. Goodbye now, Komaeda-kun." He said hesitantly. As he left he heard the sound of Komaeda saying "Hajime-kun" thoughtfully to himself. He wondered, very slightly, what he would use his first name for. He brushed it off, supposing it didn't matter much.

* * *

His most troubling patient, even beyond Komaeda, was Mondo Oowada.

Oowada had been his patient for nearly a year now, a coma patient. Ishimaru still remembered the day his bloodied and broken body was wheeled in by the paramedics. His body had been completely wrecked, not a spot on his body not covered in a wound or mess from one.

Although he had said one thing before he fell into a coma, in his adrenaline, still-no-pain phase. A single dazed sounding "Shit."

And then lights out, for the last eight months.

The worst part wasn't even that.

No, looming over Ishimaru was the responsibility that had been cast over him like a wet blanket by force: pulling the plug and ending Mondo Oowada's life for good.

Peering down at the peaceful face of Oowada, who looked asleep in his state of unconsciousness, Ishimaru sighed. One more week. If Oowada didn't wake up before then, he'd never have the chance again. Feeling the familiar rising fear at the thought, he sat down in the bedside chair.

"Hello Oowada-kun." He greeted in a voice so tired, Ishimaru didn't recognize himself. It sounded...defeated.

This was familiar territory, not the defeated feeling, but speaking to Oowada. Both him, and Chihiro, and even occasionally Naegi did it.

Running a hand through his hair, he fixed a weak half-glare on the motionless body.

"You need to wake up!" he said full-heartedly. A voice he was certain was full of hope, and perhaps he thought that his voice alone could force him from this endless slumber. The closed eyes remained so, not even flickering or twitching. An unmoving mouth, smooth breathing of a sleeping man. The gentle rising of the chest, a weak but healthier person than he had been.

He stared at the features of him, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. What was he trying to do? He knew very well that he alone couldn't wake him, he didn't have control like that. It was up to fate, and to God and to chance. A gamble in the universe, deciding if a miracle would be placed upon one lonely soul out of many. Ishimaru was a firm believer in miracles, and, if anyone needed one, it was Mondo Oowada.

Staring at the emotionless face made something snap in Ishimaru, and a sudden flow of pure desperation struck him like a hammer to the head. Not even noticing how his hand began to tremble faintly, he leaned forward. His hands began to clench and unclench erratically.

"O-Oowada-kun," he tried once more, intensely. He bit his lip, glancing at the heart monitor. The constant, steady beep rang out around him. No change in the sound. He looked back at Oowada, furrowing his brows further. "You _need _to wake up. Theres one, _one _more week!"

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

His eyes stung and tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. "All those stories I heard about you from Fujisaki-kun, are they all a lie? I was told you were a fearless-" reckless, his mind corrected. "-man, and here you are!" He blinked furious, getting to his feet abruptly. He took a deep breath, wandering closer to Oowada's side.

"Are you really ready to throw all of that away? You have people waiting for you, maybe not your family, but _us. _Fujisaki-kun, Naegi-kun, and _me." _ He spat furiously. "We want to meet you, be your friends, but now we won't be able to!"

Silence rang out around him, aside from his heavy panting.

"_Wake up!" _The final frustrated cry left his lips just as the tears began to spill. Wiping at his eyes, he sighed.

All the fight, the anger at Oowada, just left him all at once, draining from his body and making him feel tired. Both emotionally and physically, he felt exhausted.

"Ishimaru-kun?" Ishimaru blinked hazily, turning slightly to see Chihiro in the doorway, biting her lip uncertainly. "Is there something wrong?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Ishimaru croaked, sniffing. "I mean no. It's fine, thank you for asking Fujisaki-kun." He tried to smile but it fell flat.

Chihiro peered at him worriedly, tugging at the edge of his skirt in a nervous fidget. "Are you s-ah!" Chihiro suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening in shock. Around him, the monotone beeping started to accelerate at a rapid, erratic pace.

Ishimaru stiffened in shock, tears falling freely now that his hands froze, no longer wiping at his eyes. He didn't move as Chihiro brushed past him, an exhilarated smile growing on her face along with a cry of "Oh gosh, Oowada-kun!" The scratchy, unused voice, vaguely familiar, almost made his heart stop in his chest.

"What the hell?"


	4. Animal

Chapter Three: Animal

Komaeda was obviously curious whenever he heard that Mondo Oowada- the famed coma patient of Hope's Peak Hospital- had awoken. Unfortunately, after the incident a few days ago where he had fruitlessly chased after his nurse Hinata, he wasn't allowed out of the ward for at least another week. Like he'd want to go out and see all the impossibly despaired patients.

He sighed, leaning back in his bed. He supposed he could take a moment of his time to go and see some of the other patients. After all, they all had the same disease. 'Despair Fever' ...something about it was horribly tacky. Probably because of the 'despair' part. Of course, it had been the well-known Junko Enoshima who decided to name it that.

Nobody was certain why she came in here. A famous and popular model, gracing all of these pathetic patients with her hopeful appearance! They didn't nearly deserve it. It was rumoured that she had a sister in here- Mukuro Ikusaba, a few whispers had said.

She was a patient who had been checked in for a while, having multiple stab wounds covering the entirety of her body. Somehow, she had survived. Other rumours said it was her fault, and that she blamed herself. Komaeda, from what he knew about her, thought differently. She seemed completely indifferent about it.

He forced himself to his feet, which tingled slightly from lack of feeling. Stomping a little as he got up, Komaeda headed for his doorway. He peered out, checking to see if anyone was lingering in the halls. There wasn't, so he wouldn't have to bother them with his horrible presence. He didn't want to be any more of a nuisance than he was already, after all. To start off, he knocked on one door across from him, and within mere moments it was flung open.

"Komaeda-chan! Ibuki is very happy to see you! You should come hang out immediately! No take backs!" Without him saying a word, only smiling a little bit, the patient- Mioda Ibuki- grasped his hand and pulled him into her room. Sitting on her bed with a little smile was Chihiro Fujisaki, who has clearly been in the middle of a sentence whenever he had interrupted.

"Ah, if you're in the middle of something, I can leave."

"No! Ibuki was just telling Fujisaki-chan about her day so far!"

* * *

Komaeda supposed that he liked Ibuki. She was certainly very full of hope, much like Makoto Naegi. He admired both of them, and Chihiro as well. Such beautiful hope…! A stunning sight, honestly. Seeing it made him feel hopeful himself.

However, after a while, the 3rd person referencing started to get to him, so he bid the both of them goodbye. He stepped back out into the hallway, glancing at a clock nearby. Around noon. He offered a small wave to the nurse Tsumiki, who gave him back a small smile and a very nervous wave. She wasn't exactly the best at social situations, but she was one of the few people who regularly replied to Komaeda.

After meandering down the hall a bit, he came to a stop when he heard loud yelling. He cocked his head to the side, looking at the door to his right. He knocked, a little bit louder than usual, and the yelling paused. The door was yanked open, and Akane Owari was looking at him sourly. "What the hell do you want?"

Komaeda raised his hands in defense. "Hey, there's no reason to be getting angry with me. I was just checking to make sure you were alright."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And why would you care?"

He pursed his lips. "You're disturbing the peace, you know. Being so loud will attract attention, so if the both of you-" he looked at the visitor in the room, and overly muscled man he knew as Nidai Nekomaru. "-could be so kind as to take it outside, that would be wonderful."

Owari looked at him with that same angry look.

"It's alright, I can just leave you two be. Just please, try and be a little quieter."

In response, she slammed the door in his face. Very typical treatment from her, and ensured that she wasn't currently being affected with the fever. Something nice out of a somewhat rude situation, he supposed.

He grimly remembered that the rest of this ward was pretty much empty, save a couple of people far down the hall that were hardly remembered. As he was thinking this, he saw Chihiro slipping out of Ibuki's room. She let out a soft sigh, turning and nearly bumping into Komaeda.

"Ah! Komaeda-kun, I'm very sorry!"

"Oh, it's fine! You don't have to bother with apologising to me, I was in your way."

She frowned, pursing her lips a bit. "No, you weren't," She had to tip her head back a bit to look at him, considering he was taller than she. Chihiro looked a little confused, but turned to look down the hall. "Oh, were you visiting Souda-kun?"

"Huh? No, I wasn't heading that way at all."

Chihiro smiled in response. "Well, you ought to say your goodbyes! Souda-kun is checking out of the hospital today. Although his car wreck injuries weren't the best-case scenario, he should be up and moving soon." She looked down the hall, with her soft smile still plastered on her face. "In fact, Sonia-san and Tanaka-kun both visited him today."

Komaeda nodded at the news, looking down the hall was well. He wasn't that fond of Souda- mostly because he didn't much care to listen. So, it was mainly that he was practically fed up with his despair-inducing complaining. A bore, honestly.

When he turned back, Chihiro was looking at him like she wanted to say something. "Hm? What is it, Fujisaki-san? Is there something on your mind?" After a moment of silence, she started nervously.

"W-well, I was just wondering if you'd accompany me to meet with the other patients. I've already talked with a lot of them today, but I was going to stop by Kirigiri's room and talk to her."

Komaeda smiled. "Ah, I'd love to. But, I'm on ward arrest, you see. According to Hinata-kun, at least."

Chihiro looked around for a moment before looking at him mischievously. "It's only one patient! And her room isn't far from here, so I don't think Hinata-kun will mind that much."

* * *

Kirigiri looked up from her seat in interest as both Chihiro and Komaeda entered. "Good afternoon, Fujisaki-san. I see you've also brought someone else with you,"

"Ah, yeah, I hope you don't mind!"

Kirigiri placed the book she had in her hands onto a nearby table, setting it carefully so no pages were folded. "Not at all," she said with a slightly relieved tone. "Anyone is welcome, aside from Togami." She walked forward a bit, her stance formal. She straightened her gloves a bit, holding a hand out to Komaeda. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Kyouko Kirigiri."

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! After all, it is I who is graced with the presence of a girl so seemingly hopeful." He took his own hand, firmly shaking hers. "I'm Nagito Komaeda."

"Hopeful," she mused. "I wouldn't exactly pinpoint myself as that. Although, I'm certainly hoping that my memory will be returned soon." She turned a bit, facing Chihiro. "I can see you're automatically interested in my progress-" Chihiro nodded excitedly, holding her hands in front of her. "-so I'll let you know now, I do have something."

She turned easily on her heel, back to the table with the book. Under it, she pulled out a small photograph. Kirigiri turned, holding it out to Chihiro, who gladly took it. "Oh, Kirigiri-san, is this you?" She nodded, putting her lightly clasped hand to her chin in thought. "I finally remember more of my past, which was unfortunately left in pieces. It's a miracle I know my own name, otherwise I'd be wandering in here with a false identity. "

Komaeda seemed deeply interested in what she was talking about, but something about him made her uncomfortable. She couldn't pinpoint it, either. It made her entirely aggravated, and without noticing, she had furrowed her eyebrows.

"Ah, if something's wrong, I can leave. You must not care for trash like me to be hanging around, I'm sure," His words pulled her back out of her thoughts, and she raised a hand up. "What? No, you're fine, I was just thinking about something. It doesn't matter, anyway." She turned back to Chihiro, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"And, as to what I remembered about my past. Did you know that I'm a detective?"

* * *

After a while of listening to Kirigiri, Komaeda decided to speak up about something that had been bothering him earlier in the conversation. "Ah, Kirigiri-san," he started out carefully as she concluded a sentence. "I wanted to ask you something."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, what is it?"

He looked to the side in thought. "Well, you said earlier that if you hadn't remembered your name, then you wouldn't have an identity right now. Although your observation is decently solid, couldn't they just check your fingerprints?"

Kirigiri blinked, glancing down at her gloved hands. "In most cases," her voice was slow, deliberate. She was obviously in the middle of a thought. "Yes, they could have."

He looked at her, his face expectant with an answer.

She gave a soft sigh, folding her hands in her lap neatly. "I'm not going to show you my hands, Komaeda-kun. But I will tell you, they are not what one would call a pretty sight. There is no possible way for them to get fingerprints off of me,"

She said it slightly forcefully, like she was very much intending on letting the conversation drop there. Komaeda nodded a bit, receding back into his thoughts. Kyouko Kirigiri certainly was someone of great interest. An amnesiac, unable to remember many parts of her past, nor why she wandered into the hospital with just a name.

* * *

Komaeda had been here when she showed up, wandering outside of his room. He never got properly introduced to her until today, though, but he knew who she was. He remembered clearly, as he leaned up against the wall after a mood swing and heavy fever. His skin was still sticky, and he needed fresher air than his room could provide. They had even insisted on giving him one without a window, for whatever reason that was.

He could tell it had been raining from the way her hair stuck to her face, and how her skin and jacket glistened with splattered droplets. On her gloves, what appeared to be blood, which he quickly assumed was from her own injured head. _Attack victim,_ he thought to himself. _Nothing serious._

Although she had a cool demeanor, she was obviously panicking. One could see it in her eyes, a little bit wider than one might think and a look of pain in them.

"Excuse me," She had put her hands on the table, leaving red smudges behind. The nurse behind it, Mikan Tsumiki, looked up in surprise. She gave a small sound of fright when she saw the blood, scrambling for something to sterilize it with. "Where am I?"

After the mini quiz was over, she seemed to have reached the conclusion by herself that she was an amnesiac, and she demanded that she be checked into the hospital. _Smart,_ he noted about her, _she understands, but doesn't know how. Remarkable. Truly hope-filling._

He had observed the whole ordeal, as he had for many patients. He always knew what was going on, and sometimes it alarmed the staff of how much he knew.

After only about a week, he checked up on Kirigiri from Chihiro. That was how he got information on her, anyway, and on a couple other patients too. She loved to share information on all of her friends.

Kirigiri's only visitor in the time since she had checked in was the most surprising of them all. Byakuya Togami, the infamous heir of the Togami Conglomerate. It was so inspiring at first, that he would take time to come visit her. Soon, though, Komaeda thought totally differently.

They always bickered. Always.

He eventually learned that it was because they had completely different ideas about many things. Togami wanted to do something, but Kirigiri wouldn't have it. It was a back and forth fight between them, something they wouldn't be able to work out.

Togami had known Kirigiri for years, and now Komaeda used the information he had now to assume one of two things, Either they went to school together- the more improbable one- or Kirigiri had worked as a detective for the Togami family. Which it was, he didn't dare to ask him. He shouldn't bother a figure as important as _Byakuya Togami, _no, not trash like him.

* * *

It took Komaeda moment before he realized that someone was talking to him.

He turned around to the now open doorway, where Hajime Hinata was standing. Whatever he had said, he didn't know, because he hadn't been paying attention at all. An eyebrow was raised in response, and Hinata's face became slightly more angered.

"I _said_," his voice was an irritated growl as he regarded Komaeda. "You're supposed to be in _your ward_. Last time I checked, this was not a room in that area."

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Chihiro piped up, grabbing a surprised Hinata's attention. "I persuaded him to come and visit Kirigiri-san, even though he told me that he was supposed to stay in his ward!" She did a small apologetic bow, holding a hand nervously to her chest. "I'm so very sorry-! Please don't get angry at Komaeda-kun!"

He stared at Chihiro, his expression changing slightly before turning back to Komaeda. He let out a soft sigh, glaring at Komaeda. "Alright, alright. Just, please, return to your room as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Hinata-kun!" His voice was chipper, and obviously struck a chord with the already slightly annoyed nurse. "Whatever," he mumbled, walking from the room.

After a moment of silence, Komaeda turned to both Kirigiri and Chihiro. "Ah, I appreciate you having me over as a visitor, despite me not deserving to be in the presence of two truly hopeful beings such as yourselves! I'll be returning to my own room, though, so as not to drive Hinata-kun up the wall with it."

He bid the both of them polite goodbyes, proceeding out of the room and down the hallways to his place of residence. He felt a little tired, somewhat light-headed. As he returned to his abode, Komaeda promptly collapsed onto his bed.

* * *

He thought that he must have fallen asleep, because the next time his eyes opened, it was from a knocking at his door.

His pale eyes flickered to the door, tired and bored in look. His mood felt sorely degraded, and when Hinata walked in, he managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. The nurse he favoured was holding a tray of food, and he took it from his easily. This registered a surprised look from him, consider that Komaeda tended to tease him for a bit about it.

"Alright, now, I have to do check-ups this time." He had a clipboard in his hands, and a pencil poised. "Have you been feeling any different lately?"

Komaeda grumbled, using one hand to try and rub the sleep from his eyes. "I don't know." His voice was prickly, obviously annoyed with him, and his tone was returned with a confused look. "...Alright. Anything else, mood swings, fever?"

"I don't know, I don't care. Do you care? No, you don't, you won't." His voice was brittle, and he turned to lay back down on his bed. "Now go away. I don't care for you to be here, at all, so leave. Immediately, if you please."

Hinata stared at him for a moment before going back to his clipboard. "Mood swings...check." Komaeda heard his footsteps, clicking cleanly on the tile, just before a hand was pressed to his forehead. He flinched back from him, turning fully around to glare at him. "Fever...check." He muttered, marking on the paper.

"I don't have a fever," He said, looking at him with clear annoyance. "I think I would know if I had one, I don't need a phony nurse wanna-be touching my skin." Hinata gave him a weird look. "Wow, you're a snarky liar today, huh? I would say it's because I woke you up, but normally you would greet me regardless."

He pulled a chair up from against the wall, still a good distance away from Komaeda. "Normally, this would be your lucky night. I have a night shift, and the nurses assigned me the 'Fever patients." Hinata leaned back a bit. "So, you're up first. Go ahead and eat, all I have to do is wait for your mood swing to pass before I check on the others."

"I'm not having a mood swing," Komaeda's voice was insistent, but was obviously falling flat. A part of him was trying to retain his other personality, not the fibbing one that was brought out during these fits. He was well aware of them, somehow, but it was strange. Komaeda felt pushed to the back of his own mind when it happened, like he could observe but never speak.

He didn't like it.

It made a part of him lose hope.

He didn't like that.


	5. Use Somebody

Chapter Four: Use Somebody

"Uhgh." Groaning, Fukawa felt awareness begin to return to her. Her mind felt fuzzy, thoughts jumbled as she was pulled from sleep. _What woke me up? _A quiet murmur of two voices floated around her, hearing them but not able to make out what they were saying.

Wait...voices?

Fukawa peeled one gritty-feeling eye open, unsurprised to find herself tangled in the sheets of her hospital bed, all sweaty and hot. As per usual. _Gross. _

Still heavy with sleep, Fukawa attempted to untangle herself from the puzzle she had twisted herself into in her sleep. As she finally succeeded, she became aware of the quiet murmurs had stopped. She opened both eyes sluggishly and glanced over. Two pairs of eyes, one brown, the other lavender, stared back at her.

"What the-?" she croaked. "Stop staring at me."

Naegi simply smiled in his usual way at her, and the violet-eyed girl- Kirigiri, her mind decided- studied her thoughtfully.

Wincing at the vague soreness in her joints, Fukawa slid her arms beneath herself and pushed herself up. The slightly damp sheets fell down, pooling around her waist. She brought one hand over to find her glasses, using the other to level her weight steadily.

"Good morning, Fukawa-san," Naegi said cheerfully. Too cheerfully. It was _way _too early for this. Shooting him a disgruntled glare, Fukawa glanced at Kirigiri. The girl returned her gaze steadily, calm.

"...Hello. What're you doing here..?" she grumbled, raking a hand through her hair. She gathered the strands, splitting them evenly. The ritual of pulling her hair into long twin braids was familiar, soothing. It contrasted sharply with the unfamiliar that surrounded her. Naegi opened his mouth to reply, but Kirigiri cut him off. Rude.

"I'm merely here for conversation. Naegi-kun invited me over." they both glanced at the said person. "I hope you don't mind?"

Fukawa shrugged, not really interested in this anymore. As she shifted to get off her bed, she became aware of a raw feeling in her throat. She flinched at the pain, meeting Naegi's questioning, slightly worried look. "My throat hurts. It's fine." she said before he could start mother-henning her.

Naegi frowned at her, opening his mouth to continue but shut it once more as Kirigiri lightly touched his arm, shaking her head. He furrowed his brow, looking at her, before the expression brightened into one of excitement.

"Hey, guess what!" He cried suddenly. Fukawa winced at his overly cheerful tone. He was even worse than usual. _Ugh._

"What?" She parroted blandly.

"Oowada-kun woke up! Isn't that great?" He cheered, smiling widely.

Mild interest flickered in Fukawa. So the coma patient finally woke up? _About time, _she sneered silently. "Yeah, great" her voice was a slight mumble, and she rolled her eyes. "Stop being so happy, it's disgusting." Naegi and Kirigiri shared a brief lookand returned to chatting amiably.

Fukawa gingerly swung her legs over the side of her bed, getting to her feet. She cringed and resisted the urge to curl back under her sheets as the chilled floor hit her feet. Goosebumps rose up along her body, and she shivered. Scowling lightly, she glanced back at the chatting duo. They weren't of any use to her.

Padding softly across the cold floor towards the door, she opened it. Her body stiffened in surprise, and a gasp left her lips. She vaguely became aware of Kirigiri's presence over her shoulder as sudden icy blue eyes froze her on the spot, glancing at her disdainfully.

"Togami." Kirigiri said cooly from behind her. Those uncaring eyes went over her head, and he clicked his tongue in a show of irritation. "What are _you _doing here?"

"What do you think?" He snapped back in an equally icy voice.

_Holy shit, he's incredibly hot, oh my God, _Fukawa thought, all thoughts of the conflict around her leaving her head.

"I'm here to check on your progress, obviously." He continued, tone implying that it was indeed the most obvious thing in the world. Fukawa jerked slightly at Kirigiri's gentle but firm hand pulling her out of her place of blocking the doorway.

Fukawa met Naegi's eyes, and he shrugged, giving her a helpless look. She looked back at the silently glaring pair. The tension was thick, suffocating the two onlookers.

"Er...Kirigiri-san?" Naegi fidgeted awkwardly, on hand coming up to scratch his cheek as he chuckled nervously. He was obviously at a loss for how to react.

Neither responded for a few long seconds, the silence only broken by the sounds of breathing. Finally Kirigiri let out a soft sigh, breaking the staring contest. She turned to peer at Naegi, smiling slightly.

"Is he...um...leaving?" he asked, sounding slightly hopeful. He fidgeted as Togami leveled a glare on him.

"If only that were the case. He'll probably stick around for a while." She shot the heir a glare out of the corner of her eye, a serene smile still plastered on her face.

Togami returned it evenly, shouldering past her and into the room. His eyes glanced around in a curious way, completing his evaluation before finally turning to face the people in the room.

Fukawa fell back to stand next to Naegi, watching with interest. Cupping a hand to her mouth, she leaned close and whispered "He's hot." into Naegi's ear. Naegi looked at her in surprise, his face clearly confused. "W-what...why would you need to...tell me that…?"

"What, do you not think he's hot?"

"F-Fukawa-san, what sort of question is that!"

"A serious one. Or...do you you prefer Kirigiri-san?" She smirked slightly, watching the deep red flush crawl up his neck and cheeks. Even the tips of his ears were turning red. _Bingo. _

He spluttered, looking anywhere but at her. "W-what! Pssh, n-no!" He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Fukawa glanced at Kirigiri and Togami, making sure they were still quietly conversing before continuing her teasing.

She hummed a bit, looking at him in a searching way. His wary eyes looked back at her, and she pursed her lips a little. "Mmmhm, yes, I understand exactly what's going on in here. And here, I only thought it happened in fiction...a story few live to tell…"

"W-what are you talking about, Fukawa-san?" Naegi's whisper made a small smile play on Fukawa's lips. She made another hum, adjusting her glasses and crossing her arms.

"Oh, yes, I can see it."

"See what!"

She leaned close to him again, trying to maintain a serious face. "I hate to inform you, Naegi, but there appears to be something going on. You have…." she whispered the last part of it. "...a crush."

He started laughing nervously again, his arms struggling to find a resting place. "E-excuse me, I don't know what y-you mean!" Naegi nervously brushed his hair, making it puff up a little. "H-hah, is it just me, or is it a little stuffy in here? Hey, Kirigiri-san," She looked over in interest whenever he said her name.

"Uh, would you like to go out? O-outside the room! I mean outside! Of! This room!" His face turned bright red, and Kirigiri was obviously hiding a smile under her gloved hand. After a moment of what one could see was silent laughter, she replied to him. "I'll go out into the hall with you, yes, if our _friend_ here would be so kind as to release me from the grip of stupidity."

Togami scoffed at her, crossing his arms. "Excuse me for trying to do something, regardless if it may seem a bit ridiculous to you. I didn't realize that acts of slight charity were a _crime_."

"Well how about as an 'act of charity'" She rolled her eyes. "You keep Fukawa-san some company. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." She looked at Fukawa expectantly. "Would, you?"

It was Fukawa's turn to fight the heat rising on her cheeks, and she pointedly ignored Naegi's smug look in favor of shaking her head. "...Of course not, Togami-kun is always welcome." She gave a jittery, nervous smile.

* * *

A few minutes later, she still felt her face glowing with heat Naegi and Kirigiri had gone off to do whatever it was they were doing, whether it be chatting or them doing the strange look sharing thing. Togami was completely uninterested at her, sitting in a chair that had been pulled away from her bed and back against the wall. After a couple more minutes of them remaining in silence, she hesitantly returned to her bed.

Her feet were freezing, so her still-warm sheets were a blessing settled down onto her. As she sat, lightly shivering, her hands moving softly over her goosebumps as she tried to warm up, he finally spoke to her.

"You seem absolutely hopeless,"

Of course. The first thing he says to her- although, his voice was nice- was completely rude. Not a very interesting way to court a lady, honestly. Not romantic in the least bit.

"...Why would you say that?" Her voice was still a murmur, due to her throat. He glanced up, an eyebrow raised. "Would you speak up? I can't hear you, and it irritates me."

_At least he wants to hear me talk to him,_ she thought as she attempted to raise her voice up. "I-I said, why would you say that?" In response, he scoffed and turned back to what he had been doing in his chair- reading some book, which looked too uninteresting to even catch Fukawa's knowledgeable literary eye.

"I thought it was obvious, what with how you're moping in your bed. You look disgusting, when's the last time you took a bath?" She made a soft scoff in return to that. "S-sorry that I woke up just half an hour ago, I don't exactly look like a beauty queen. " He looked at her, his face indifferent. "I can tell."

"A-and, anyway," Fukawa nervously adjusted her glasses. "How else do you expect me to look, in my situation? I have cancer, i-it's not exactly a ride through a park."

"Do something with it. You're a novelist, aren't you? Write, make something better out of your situation."

"I'm a _romance _novelist." She said pointedly. Togami shrugged, thumbing through his book idly. "A novelist nonetheless. Write something." He sounded like he had given her advice straight from the word of God. She sat up straighter in her bed, her eyebrows pressing close together.

"...Excuse me? 'Write something'? Are you suggesting that I make my situation," she spat the words out at if they were the hospital food mixed with poison. "_Romantic?" _ He raised his eyebrows, like his response was obvious.

Fukawa stared back at him in disbelief, and she let out a bitter laugh. "Cancer isn't romantic. Not in the least bit! It's a disease. It ravages the body, it ruins people and lives. It's like calling leprosy romantic, and having the flu being the exact time you ought to go out to a dinner. This isn't _fucking_ romantic. It's anything but!" Her voice was somehow loud, but shaky.

Togami was staring back at her, both his eyebrows pressing up. She kept on, fumbling out of her bed and standing in front of him. He rose to his feet as well, peering down his nose at her. Her breath came out in quivering bursts of air, and she tried to control her trembling.

"There isn't going to be someone to come and whisk me away, just because I suddenly have cancer! I'm a disgusting pile of rubbish, wrapped in easily bruisable skin and anxiety." She pressed both of her shaking hands to his chest, pushing him as hard as she could manage.

* * *

From the hallway, the moment that Naegi heard Fukawa's voice rising from the room, he knew something had happened. _She shouldn't be yelling,_ he thought immediately, _her throat was already sore._ He looked at Kirigiri questioningly, and she replied back with a look of pure exasperation. So she got the same conclusion, that Togami had done something.

While it was true that Fukawa had tended to get easily upset since the moment she entered this hospital, she hardly ever raised her voice. When she did, you could assume she was either wildly flustered or angry. From the sound of things, it was the latter.

The both of them rose from their seats, hurrying over to the room. He stared with confused eyes for a moment as Fukawa attempted to shove Togami, who was giving her a snarky look of disbelief. Naegi nearly ran in, pulling her away from him, holding her shaking arms in his. He gave Togami a look of disgust, but he was already turning, giving a small 'tch'.

"I could sue you for assault," His voice held the same proudness as always. "Harassment, really. I give up a moment of my precious time to be here, and yet you abuse the privilege I granted. You-"

"Would you _shut up_?"

Togami blinked in surprise at Naegi's surprisingly cold voice. He gave a small, indifferent shrug. "I'll be going, then. In the time when I'm gone, if I ever happen to have the misfortune of running into the both of you again, I hope you will have gotten some manners when addressing an heir like myself."

As he left, Naegi turned his attention back to the still-shaking Fukawa. "Ah, Fukawa-san, you're hot." He idly pressed a hand to her forehead, his suspicions confirmed. "You have a fever, I think you've gotten sick." He led her carefully to her bed, helping her get comfortable. "I don't think it's anything too bad, but I'll tell Ishimaru-kun or a nurse right away."

She gave a soft nod, enveloping herself into her sheets, settling down into her space. She looked weary, as always. Fukawa hadn't been here for long, but he noticed the difference easily. She was getting skinnier, her face more slanted and limbs a little smaller. As she dozed into her normal, fitful sleep, Naegi sighed on her behalf.

"Fukawa-san really trusts you, doesn't she?"

Naegi looked up in surprise at Kirigiri, who was standing there despite him thinking she had gone. "A-ah, Kirigiri-san! I thought you had left after Togami-kun had stormed out." She gave her head a shake, her attention on Fukawa.

"A wounded animal will try to hide how weak it is," She murmured. "Showing any weakness...they want something you have, or you matter to them." His eyebrows rose up a bit, looking at her still. "I haven't known Fukawa-san for that long, though! She doesn't exactly seem like the friendly type, or the type to give any trust at all."

He looked over at her, his eyebrows slightly inching together in worry. "If she does trust me, though, then I think that's wonderful. She doesn't need to deal with Togami, certainly. I hope she doesn't extend the privilege to him."

She blinked, finally looking up at him. "Fukawa-san is no fool. You know that as much as I do, and I've only seen her twice. A brilliant novelist, who doesn't seem like the romantic or social type. But...I think there's something about Togami-kun that she'll hold onto, regardless."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"She's a wounded soul. In a time of desperation, she'll clasp onto the nearest things she can trust. Unfortunately, Togami-kun will probably return again. If not to just bother her..." Kirigiri looked thoughtful as she trailed off. "I'll never understand Byakuya Togami, nor do I have enough memory to know why I'm so bothered by him. Just make sure that, whatever he says to Fukawa-san, make sure it doesn't get to her head in any way."

Naegi frowned worriedly, glancing down at the softly dozing girl. He couldn't let Togami, or anybody, hurt her now. Emotionally or physically, she was weak now. She didn't deserve someone to harass her like that. No, she deserved to be happy more than anybody.

"Don't worry, I have no intention to." Naegi vowed grimly. He gently touched the top of Fukawa's head, a caring gesture, and pulled away, turning back to the detective.

He chewed on his lip, looking thoughtful. "If she were to give Togami-kun... her trust," he said unwillingly, "would he...abuse it?"

Kirigiri blinked, humming as she hook her head. "Togami-kun may be insufferable, but he would never actually, say, abuse it. He may manipulate it, but he would never hurt her."

"That makes no sense," Naegi said, shaking his head in confusion. A small smile fluttered across Kirigiri's face and she brought one gloved hand up to cover her lips as she chuckled.

"Byakuya Togami makes no sense."


End file.
